Re-admitting the Macro Dimension: Questioning Regional Atomism through the Interpretation of Intra-Regional and Inter-Regional Linkages

Lovering (1999 and 2001) has commented upon the move towards an atomistic view of the regions that has risen up in recent decades, which he refers to as ‘New Regionalism’. This view of the regions essentially sees them as operating as isolated island economies that are solely dependent upon endogenous factors for their growth and development. This article examines the legitimacy of this regional atomism by examining the intra-regional versus inter-regional collaborations of Merseyside technology based SMEs. Furthermore, it suggests that New Regionalism’s inherent atomism can only be legitimately questioned by employing techniques in our research that do not have this very same atomism at their core. By focussing on Byrne’s (2002) ideas relating to emergent classification of cases and quantitative hermeneutics it is demonstrated how this can be achieved.